Switch-box.



C. A. KEMER.

SWITCH BOX. APPLlcATIoN HLED MAR. 7, 191s.

1,296,811. Patented Mar. 11,1919.

'messia CLAUDE einen@ eration.

it kamen., or CLEVELAND, onto, assreivon lrro rein irinsrrntn nLnCrnrC HARDWARE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or iannsrrntn, onto.

smsen-sox.

To all 'whom/zt may concern:

`State of;

.Be it known that I, CLAUDE A. Karma, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland in the county of Cuyahoga and hio, haveinvented a certain new and useful .Improvement in ISwitch-Boxes,

of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and p exact description.

. ous parts and assembling A box is This'inven'tion relates to a switch box,v

the object of the invention being to provide the elementsand 'combinations there- 0f set forth in the .accompanying claims.

Reference shoi'ilidbel had Ato the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification, in which Figure 1 is a perctive view showing the assembled box;

'g. 2- is a top plan view of a single box; Fig. 3 is a top Elan view of a series or gang arrangement o boxes; Fi 4 is an end elevation of one form of en' plate; Fig, 5 is an end elevation of anotheriorm of end plate; Fig. 6 is an end elevation of a portion of the tbox. v

' It will be readily vunderstood that in devices of the type to which this application relates'it is valmost a prime requisite that the box be constructed as cheaply as possible. This is accomplished by .securin a set-up box with as few forming operations as possible, and, furthermore, it may be accomplished by eliminating parts, such as screws', which, of course, require threaded receiving openings. And this is what I have done in providing the box disclosed in this application.

The box comprises what may be termed a `central portion 1, this being formed preferably froma single strip of metal .bent so. s to provide a bottom portion 2, side porlions 3 and 4, and intermediate slanting 'o ionsl 5 and 5, The upper portion of glie sides 3 and 4 are provided with outardly extending lugs 6 to which a cover adapted to be secured. Asfshown in Figs. 1 and 2,' the box is provided with end pieces 7 and 8. These rrid pices are made to extend a slight dist.' .l-Vince beyond the side pieces 3 and d. @ony nerating with the side nieces 8 and 4 'are v Mutation inea Marcil *1, 191e. serial no. cases.

-has a sliding engagement with Spccication of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 11, 1919.

brackets 9 by which the box is mounted.i

Each bracket being of similar construction 1 and similarly placed on the box, I will describe but one bracket. formed preferably 4from a single piece of metal bent so as to have portions extending `at Aright angles to each other. One of the portions is provided with holes 9S adapted to receive screws by which the box is fastenedl and mounted. The width. of the bracket is the same as the width of the side The bracket is Wise movement or torsional movement by engagement between the edges of the bracket and the extending end pieces 7 and 8. The bracket is so secured upon the side that it ofthe end ieces 7 and 8.

The portion of the bracket 9 which liesV in Contact with the side 3 is provided with a slot- 10. This slot receives a screw 11 which engages with a' threaded openin in the side 3 yof the central portion of the 0X. The length of the slt is such that the bracket 9 may be adjusted upwardly so ,as to lie substantially flush with the open end of the box, or it `may be adjusted downwardly to any desired extent. It will be appreciated that this. construction requires onl one screw for holdingthe bracket, which saves not only in the cost of production of the boxybut lalso it eects a considei'able saving of time in adjusting the bracket 9 d-ue vto the fact, that only one screw need be manipulated.

The endplatej or piece '8 is at one portion the extension thereof provided with a slotS, and extend-v ioo gages with a lug 14 formed upon the side 'y 4. of the central portion of the box. The screw 13 extends through va slot 15, which at one end isV provided with an' enlarged portion, so that vthe head ci?l thev screw may e accommodated, while the portion of the yslotthrough which the 4screw extends when the-enti .piece 8 is in place is of less width,

It will be seen that it. requires but a single screw to hold the end piece 8 in place, which permits a quicker manipulation or removal of the end piece 8, and also provides a constiaiction which is cheaper to manufacture than where. two or more. screws are used in securing the end piece.

The end piece 7 is provided with slots which are indicated at l-t in Fig. l. These slots cooperate. with extending lugs 16. which are formed upon the edges of side pieces 3 and l of tbe box as indicated in Figs. 3 and (i. When the end piece 7 is assembled with respect to the box, the lugs 16 will be swaged. thereby firmly attaching the end piece 7 to the central portion of the box. It' will thus be seen that this operation does away with the necessity for the use of screws or similar securing means. Furthermore. due to the fact that the end piece 7 extends beyond the side pieces 3 and 4 of the box, it requires but a simple slot. and a straight lug or tang construction to effect the. joining of the end piece 7. There is no necessity for offsetting the lug or the slot, thus producing the very cheapest form of connection between thel parts.

The end pieces 7 and 8 are provided with knock-out slugs 17, as are likewise the slanting portions 5 and 6. These slugs 17 are assembled with respect to the parts containing them, as is usual in the art. However. l have found it advantageous to so form the slugs 17 that the outer surface is slightly raised, as indicated at 17a in Fig. 3. This makes it much easier for persons using the box to remove, the slugs. inasmuch as there 'is a portion of the slug which extends slightly above the surface of the surrounding metal. The raised portion of the slugs 17, however, is not so great, as to interfere With'the use of the box. as the height of the raised portion makes the slugs extend but very little above the surface of the sur` rounding metal.

It will be noted that the end plates 7 and 8 are formed alike. with the exception that the end plate 7 is provided `with slots 14. whereby the plate 7 is permanently tixed to the central portion of the box. whereas the plate 8 may be removed.

It is often desirable to arrange switch boxes in what is termed in gang.-that is to say, arranging them in alincment and securing adjacent boxes together. This 1 accomplish with a box of mv invention. in the manner shown iii Fig. 5l.

If it be desired to arrange the boxes A and B in gang. the removable end piece S of the box A is removed. and the fixed end plate 7 of the box ll is so placed 'with rela` tion to the box A that the folded tongue 1Q enters a slot 18 formed in the side portion 4 of the box. rlhis slot is .shown in Fig. 6. The slot 18 is arranged so that it comes adjacent'lithe slot 7lil formed in the end piece 7. Therefore, when boxes are `joined in gang,

[the folded tongue 12 will slide' into the' slot 18 and ,seat itself within the slot 7a, the manner of yengagement. being exactly the same as that shown in Fig. 1 with respect to the plate 8.

The. screw 13 which would be carried by the box will extend through the slot 7b formed in the end plate 7. This slot 7b is formed with an enlarged end to receive the head lof the screw. lVhen the screw is inserted through the large end of the slot 7b the whole. box B will be moved So as to bring the tongue 12 into the slots 18 and 7a and sinuiltaneously move the screw 13 into the narrower part of slot 7b. The screw 13 may then be tightened, thereby holding the two boxes A and B together.

The open end of the box B will be closed by an end plate S in exactly the same manner as heretofore described.

l-Iaving described my invention, I claim:

1. A switchbox comprising a central portion forming bottom and sides, end plates secured to the central portion, brackets upon the sides of the box, said brackets having engagement with the ends of the box, thereb v to prevent side or torsional movement of the, brackets. and means for holding the brackets to the sides.

Q. A switchbox comprising a central portion forming bottom and sides,'end plates secured to the central portion` brackets upon the sides of the box. said brackets having portions engaging with the ends of the box,

therebv to prevent sidewise or torsionalmovement. and a single screw adapted to engage each bracket with the side of the box.

I. switehbox comprising a central portion vtoi-ming the bottom and sides, end' vpieces secured to the central portion, brackets mounted upon the sides of the box, said brackets having portions engaging wlth the end pieces.' thereby to prevent side or tor- `sional movement. a slot formed in each bracket and a single screw extending through each slot and into a side of the bo tohold the bracket.

4. A switch box comprising a central portion. forming bottom and sides, and end plates secured to the central portion'. the end plates extending slightly beyond the sides of the box. supporting brackets slidably mounted upon the sides of the box and extending between and into engagement with the end plates of the box. and means for adjustablv securing the brackets upon the engagement with the end plates of the box, there being-a slot formed in the portion of each bracket which engages with the side of the box, a screw extending through the slot, said screw. having threaded engagement with the side of the box.

6. A switch box comprising a central portion forming bottom and sides, end plates coperating with the central portion, each of said end plates being formed with a notch in 'onel edge and a slot having an enlarged ceive lugs formed on the central portion,.

said lugs being swaged after insertion through slots in the end plates, whereby the end plate is secured.'`

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my 20 signature.

CLAUDE A. KELLER. 

